Did The Mcgregor vs Mendes Fight Change Your Outlook On Aldo vs Mcgregor?

[damson]

Excellent post. Some of the biggest shots I thought Mendes landed on him didnt even hit him.

i really hope Conor cuts his hair short because I've seen guys lose rounds in the judges eyes because their long hair flailing around makes it look like they are getting tagged hard even when they are not.

 

[Agnawedbone]

For me they went down. I was pretty even on Aldo/Conor up until the Mendes fight. But seeing the difficulties he had defending takedowns and being on his back, in addition to, getting hit often I am going with Aldo.

I mean I always saw Conor as a big threat to the title and still do but I am just more confident in Aldo winning now.

This, exactly.

 

[Fyreborn]

Up for sure. We saw holes exposed, but Conor is much more proven now. This was his first legit test.

The interesting thing when comparing Conor vs Chad to Jose vs Chad II, is that on the feet Conor seemed to have a bigger edge over Mendes than Aldo did.

Aldo however still won the rounds vs Chad. Conor was going to be down 2-0 if it weren't for the KO.

Anyway - this is a tough fight to call, but most people are overlooking Aldo's monster ground game. He has great TDs.

His guard passes are some of the best in MMA. He crucifixed Faber easily. He mounted Florian many many times, and Kenny is a very high level grappler.

If Aldo gets Conor down, Conor may be in big trouble. He scrambled when Mendes tried to pass, but Mendes isn't Aldo.

his strategy was phenomenal though. He tried to inflict tons of damage in Chad's mid section so he would gas even faster. It worked marvelously.

Or you believe that didn't play a roll on Chad gassing out horribly?.....

Count me as one of those dubious about the body shots.

Body shots are supposed to accumulate and slow you down in the later rounds. I have *never* in boxing or MMA seen a fighter has in the first round due to body shots. Mendes was breathing heavy only a couple minutes in!

I think the body shots is just over analyzing, and this was a case of Chad not being in shape. But we will never know for sure.

 

[Willy Lump Lump]

Same. I think a full fight camp Mendes would have beat Conor. He's still really good, but Aldo is a whole different beast.

Me too, but "full camp aldo", using grappling is also a chance to gas.

 

[Fyreborn]

i really hope Conor cuts his hair short because I've seen guys lose rounds in the judges eyes because their long hair flailing around makes it look like they are getting tagged hard even when they are not.

It worked in reverse for Guida His hair flying all around made him seem much more active than he actually was.

 

[mangokush]

Yeah it made me realize that Aldo will easily tool McFlog on the ground with ease

 

[Agnawedbone]

Was Chad landing clean and hard in all of these? You have to watch Conor's defense in slow motion or else you'll be misled into believing shots landed that simply didn't or didn't land cleanly at all. Here are most of Chad's "best" moments on the feet in their fight.

Chad lands clean and hard as Conor is scrambling back to an upright position with his back against the fence. Chad's follow up punch is caught in mid air and parried away. Rogan and fans think it lands because it looked like it may have due to Chad's hand speed. Rogan goes bananas of course.



Chad misses his overhand right, which lands on Conor's shoulder, and Conor actually clips Chad in the head around his temple as he's on his back foot countering.



Chad missing some more after Conor staggers him first. Note Conor looking for that same counter left from over the top again.



Here is Chad missing literally everything and Conor clearly avoiding it. This same feinted takedown attempt to uppercut setup caught Aldo repeatedly and had him hurt.



Chad lands hard here but not cleanly, it doesn't hit Conor's chin at all but instead the side of the neck (collar bone area) and the second punch to follow it up actually misses completely as Conor retreats just out of its range.



Porous striking defense? More like high level defense through the use of range control, footwork, framing out with arm and head control, slips, parries and dips. Conor also rolls with punches very well too. His understanding of distance and timing far exceeds Aldo's and Mendes'.

All I see is if Mendes had even just a six inch reach disadvantage instead of a gargantuan eight inch reach disadvantage he would have nailed every one of those shots. Conor's gigantic size advantage protected him from his horrendous defense. Stop pretending otherwise.

 

[Jimmy James]

In the first GIF Chad lands clean with that first shot, and it hurts plenty of guys.

Did I not say that Chad landed clean and hard with that 1st punch? I already did say that. Second, his follow up shot missed but most thought it landed. Conor parried it. Conor was also in mid scramble as he got hit clean with that first punch. That makes it less impressive because anyone can get caught much more easily scrambling back to their feet. He won't have to worry about this with Aldo, Aldo isn't a wrestler.

In the 4th GIF it's impossible to tell how much it hits Conor's chin and how much it lands in the collarbone area. The camera angle doesn't allow you to see it so no idea why you'd make that claim.

It's easy to tell. Look at Chad's trajectory on that punch and Conor's reaction. It doesn't hit Conor's chin because Conor slightly moved his head offline and braced for it. This is clear in the video clip. It touched his jawline at best but that was a shot that hit his clavicle / neck area.

But honestly, the fact that Chad landed some clean shots and that he's shown he has power should make people believe MORE in Conor, not less. Aldo is too good a striker to get shut out, he's going to land some shots in the fight. Now that I've seen Conor tagged by a guy with legit power and not even be fazed, I think Conor's chances are very good.

All fighters have to have a good chin at such a high level. Defense comes first and chin shouldn't be relied on. Conor did take 3 or 4 good clean shots from Chad but that was over 2 rounds and I've seen every exchange in slow motion on the feet, including amidst scrambles. Chad's best shot landed, his cleanest and hardest, was in the first video clip I posted. Not only did it not faze McGregor, he defended the follow up left easily.

It's much harder to hit Conor clean than most realize. His reflexes and reads on his opponent's next attack are really good. He sees these shots coming, is already backing away, rolls or makes it miss even if it's just barely. That's some high level subtle defense and not just the conventional textbook stuff you see from most fighters.

 

[Jimmy James]

All I see is if Mendes had even just a six inch reach disadvantage instead of a gargantuan eight inch reach disadvantage he would have nailed every one of those shots. Conor's gigantic size advantage protected him from his horrendous defense. Stop pretending otherwise.

So, in other words, you're blinded by hatred. Got it. That 8" reach advantage is something that Jones has on every opponent at minimum with the exception of Gus. You don't know shit about striking defense to think that Conor relies on his reach so much to avoid being hit. You're confusing Conor and Jon Jones.

 

[Moral Victory]

300%

 

[Mixedfights]

Even IF Conor and Aldo trade shot for shot---Aldo falls. Too much power/volume/presure/accuracy. Just too much. Chad was hurt by almost every strike-just like all of Conors fights. The damage he does with his strikes and the way he abuses the body/head equally is devastating. I dont see Jose making it to the 4th and only give him that much because hes a badass.

 

[Dragin'Don]

If anything I see Connor More of a threat ..... I seen how much he is willing to sacrifice all to provide for his inner circle.

I'm looking forward to having the honour and privilege to be able to watch Connor and Jose fight. Cheering for them both

 

[Blanqa Blanqua]

Kinda

I'm more intrigued than ever.

I like & respect both men more than ever.

Look forward to their bout, if it happens

 

[Boxingislife]

So, in other words, you're blinded by hatred. Got it. That 8" reach advantage is something that Jones has on every opponent at minimum with the exception of Gus. You don't know shit about striking defense to think that Conor relies on his reach so much to avoid being hit. You're confusing Conor and Jon Jones.

Conor Haters truly are delusional

Reach had nothing to do with Conor making his reads and slipping punches

Or Conor pre-emptively taking his head off the center line to weave/avoid punches

Or Conor pre-empitively turning his shoulder in off his lefts to shoulder roll/deflect any incoming shots

Or Conor utilising parries/stiff arms/head control to stiffle any return from Mendes after landing

Or Conor using lead foot step ins with lefts, then subtle back hops out to make Mendes miss, so as to still stay in range to come back with more etc

Conor epitomizes hit and don't get hit by what ever means

People dont know what they are watching if they cant see the slick subtle complete defensive skill set of Conors

Slips/changing head slots/range control with footwork/parries/rolls/shoulder rolls/stiff arms/head control

Conor has that it all in his defensive arsenal. And depending whats best for that situation Conor will utilse the best defensive measure for that situation. Conor has the best defense in MMA by far based on the footage we CAN SEE

PLUS the Conor hating TROLLS still ignore 2 things:

1. Holloway had just as much reach and Conor schooled Holloway in the exact same fashion (hitting counters/making him miss etc)

Meanwhile when Jones fought someone who was just CLOSE in size to him he was tagged at will and battered. Thats getting exposed. Jones relies ON NOTHING BUT REACH and size.

With Conor its evident he actually has the skills and more. Good D is good D period, and Conor has great subtle D period.

2. Mendes is pound for pound the most explosive fighter in MMA. When you can close distance as fast as Mendes reach is negated...BUT not when going up against superior skills and timing...THE fact Conor was able to dictate, nullify, and easily beat Mendes best explosions with far superior timing is remarkable. Aldo in his wildest dreams couldnt dream of doing that to Mendes. And Its more proof to how Conor relies on nothing but pure skills and IQ to dominate

Conor is pure unadulterated skill and IQ

 

[xMaxPower]

went up a lot actually.

chad took aldo to a close decision while mcgregor KO'd him.

 

[Project 86]

they actually went down alot mendes exposed him in defeat

it showed us connor has no game off his back and against a bjj black belt with good takedowns in aldo

its a wrap

 

[Fatal Catro]

No , still have Aldo by the same fashion

 

[Psychedelic]

I saw Mendes continuously clip Conor and take him down with ease before gassing, so yeah, I think Aldo wins even easier this time.

Chad Mendes rearranges Jose Aldo's facial structure, no one bats an eye.

Mendes lands a couple of punches on McGregor, and everyone loses their minds.

 

[Fatal Catro]

went up a lot actually.

chad took aldo to a close decision while mcgregor KO'd him.

Do not rely on mma math man.

 

[Dragin'Don]

Was Chad landing clean and hard in all of these? You have to watch Conor's defense in slow motion or else you'll be misled into believing shots landed that simply didn't or didn't land cleanly at all. Here are most of Chad's "best" moments on the feet in their fight.

Chad lands clean and hard as Conor is scrambling back to an upright position with his back against the fence. Chad's follow up punch is caught in mid air and parried away. Rogan and fans think it lands because it looked like it may have due to Chad's hand speed. Rogan goes bananas of course.



Chad misses his overhand right, which lands on Conor's shoulder, and Conor actually clips Chad in the head around his temple as he's on his back foot countering.



Chad missing some more after Conor staggers him first. Note Conor looking for that same counter left from over the top again.



Here is Chad missing literally everything and Conor clearly avoiding it. This same feinted takedown attempt to uppercut setup caught Aldo repeatedly and had him hurt.



Chad lands hard here but not cleanly, it doesn't hit Conor's chin at all but instead the side of the neck (collar bone area) and the second punch to follow it up actually misses completely as Conor retreats just out of its range.



Porous striking defense? More like high level defense through the use of range control, footwork, framing out with arm and head control, slips, parries and dips. Conor also rolls with punches very well too. His understanding of distance and timing far exceeds Aldo's and Mendes'.

I wish I could see these gifs